


Blood and Thorns

by GhostIsReading



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dark Harry Potter, Diagon Alley, F/F, F/M, Gen, Knockturn Alley, M/M, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Slow Burn, Slowly turned dark harry, Starts the summer before Third Year
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:14:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26777935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostIsReading/pseuds/GhostIsReading
Summary: Its the Summer before Harry's Third Year. He is left unsupervised in Diagon Alley for five weeks. What else is he going to do but explore?But things are always what they seem.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Thorfinn Rowle
Comments: 20
Kudos: 251





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One:**

Harry looked around his room in the Leaky Cauldron. It wasn’t exactly clean but it was certainly better than being stuck at the Dursleys’. He was free for the next five weeks until he had to go back to Hogwarts and so he was going to make the most of it. Sure the Minister of Magic had told him to go out too much but Harry wasn’t about to let himself be caged in the Inn. And honestly? So long as no one knew that The ‘Harry Potter’ was wandering the Alleys then he would probably be fine. 

He moved into the bathroom that was thoughtfully attached to his room and looked at his reflection. A scrawny twelve, almost thirteen year old stared back at him. His bird nest hair was getting rather long and his glasses were probably on their last legs. Now how to change his appearance enough to not be noticed? Then he suddenly remembered that time where his hair kept growing back when his Aunt cut it. Maybe instead of growing it he could change the colour? But what colour? 

“Maybe not red.” He muttered as he looked at himself critically. “I would look too much like a Weasley.” Maybe blond? Or a lighter brown at least? 

He shut his eyes and tried to wish his hair a different colour, focusing first on it being blond. But what kind of blond? Blond like Malfoy where his hair is almost white or the dull blond like his relatives? He didn’t want to stick out so dull blond it was. He focused hard. 

He opened his eyes a moment later and unfortunately his hair was still a dark brown. He frowned. 

“What if…” He mumbled aloud. “What if I focus as if I’m trying to do a spell?” So with that idea he shut his eyes again and took a deep breath. He thought back to the tingle he felt through his arm when he first cast _lumos_ and pushed that tingle up to his head thinking of the blond hair Dudley had. The tingle covered his whole head and this time when he opened his eyes, he was blond. 

Harry grinned. “Yes!” Sure his hair was still a bird nest but it was blond! So were his eyebrows which he hadn’t thought about so that was good. “But can I change back?” He wondered. 

He shut his eyes and focused on going back to how his hair was before. The tingle spread more quickly than last time and when he opened his eyes again, his hair was back to its normal dark brown state. It worked! He now had a disguise! Now should he go straight out and explore or-

His thoughts were interrupted by the loud rumble of his stomach. Well that solved the issue of what he should do next. He sighed and decided to have lunch as Harry Potter. He would have to come up with a different name for his blond counterpart later but first lunch!

Harry went down the stairs and into the main bar area of the Leaky Cauldron. Tom teh barman was behind the counter cleaning a cup. 

“Afternoon, lad.” He smiled at him. “Come down for some lunch?”

“Yes please.” Harry nodded and was glad that Tom wasn’t bringing any attention to his presence unlike the first time he had appeared in the Wizarding World and he was mobbed by ‘well wishers’. 

“How about a cheese sandwich and the soup of the day?” The barman suggested to the boy. 

“Could I also have some pumpkin juice?” Harry asked quietly. 

“Of course, lad. You go find yourself a table and I’ll bring your food and drink over as soon as I can.” 

“Thanks.” Harry then slid over some Galleons. “I’m not sure how much my stay here costs so is this enough for lunch?” 

“Don’t be silly lad, you’re already paying for your stay.” Tom admonished him. “Dumbledore sent over a bank draft that you signed to pay for it and all your meals.”

“He did?” Harry was shocked. Why would Dumbledore have any access to his money? 

“You must be starving if you’re getting this forgetful lad.” Tom gave him a look full of concern. “Go take a seat, and I’ll get you your food stat.”

Harry let himself be ushered off to a table near the bar. He sat down and frowned. He would need to visit Gringotts to find out what was going on with his account and to find out why Dumbledore was able to give out checks that drew money from Harry’s account. Actually, this was the first time that he was unaccompanied while in the Alley so maybe he should ask the Goblins about who much money he has as well. He would need to make sure that he had enough to last him through school and hopefully until he was able to get a job. 

“Here you go lad.” Tom placed a steaming bowl of soup, a plate with a cheese sandwich and a tall glass of pumpkin juice down in front of him. “Enjoy.” He turned to leave before stopping and saying, “You should see if you can get yourself some new glasses from Owleye’s.” 

“Owleye’s?” Harry repeated. 

“Yeah, just past Gringotts, closer to Olivander’s than here.” Tom smiled at him again before leaving him to his meal. 

As Harry dug into his food he made a mental note to check out ‘Owleye’s’ after he had gone to Gringotts to find out about his finances. New glasses would be nice, he thought wistfully. He had been wearing the same pair since his Aunt pulled them out of a charity bin when he was seven. 

Once he was finished with his food, he thanked Tom and quickly went upstairs to his room to grab a robe. He only had jis school robes but if he wore them inside out to hide his Gryffindor insignia then he shouldn’t stand out too much. He made sure his money pouch and vault key were secure in his pocket. He tucked his wand into his now inner robe pocket and left. He ducked through the entrance to the DiagonAlley without anyone paying attention to him. He kept his hair in front of his face but gripped his robe in order to stop himself from flattening it which he realised was a quirk of his. 

He gazed in wonder at the magnificent Gringotts building that stuck out like a diamond among boring brown rocks. As he approached the doors he noticed for the first time that the Goblin guards besides the doors bowed at incoming customers. So Harry bowed back, that was the polite thing to do right? He moved into the bank unaware of the surprised Goblins he had left behind. 

Inside it was as busy as it was the first time he walked in two years ago. There were lines of people queuing up to see the Goblin tellers on either side of the large hall-like area that was the main floor of the bank. Harry made his way across the bank floor to one of the tellers further in and because Wizards were lazy it also meant that this teller had the shortest queue. There were only two people in front of him. 

As Harry waited he craned his neck to look around the bank a bit more, the ceiling was really high and reminded him of a cathedral that his school once went to on a school trip. There were massive crystal chandeliers and He briefly wondered how they dusted them before he realised that magic was probably the answer. Huge windows of coloured glass filled the bank floor with rainbow colours where the light hit the marble floor. This bank was truly a work of art. 

“Next!” Barked the Goblin of his line and Harry quickly realised that it was his turn, the previous wizard had stormed off in a huff obviously not getting what he wanted. 

“Ah good afternoon.” Harry said as he hurried to stand in front of the counter that stretched high above his head. “I was wondering if I could see someone regarding my account?” 

“Name?” The Goblin asked in a bored voice. 

“Uh,” Harry looked around himself and went on his tiptoes to be as close to the Goblin as he could be before saying in a low voice. “Harry Potter.” 

“Oh?” The Goblin leaned over to look down at him. “Now that is interesting.” The goblin’s eyes scanned Harry’s face, most notably stopping on where his scar was hidden. “Follow me.” He turned his notice from ‘Open’ to ‘Closed’ and climbed down from where he was sitting, before gesturing for Harry to follow him. 

Harry did as he was told. The Goblin led him through a brightly lit corridor, it was the same cream colour as the walls on the bank floor and the ceiling was just as high. He was brought to a door that read ‘Manager Gornuk’. The Goblin that Harry was with knocked on the door twice before pushing it open and escorting Harry inside. 

It was a very spartan room. There was a single desk which another Goblin, presumably Manager Gornuk, was sitting behind and a plain wooden chair in front of it. There were filing cabinets behind the Goblin but other than that the room was bare. 

“Manager Gornuk, this boy claims to be Mr Harry Potter.” The Goblin that had escorted Harry there announced. 

“Oh?” Gornuk looked up from his desk with a sinister smile. “We’ll just have to make sure he is who he claims to be.” 

Harry was unsure why that statement was so menacing but despite knowing that he was Harry Potter he was still rather afraid that they would find out that he wasn’t...Were Goblins always this unnerving?

“Leave us.” Gornuk ordered. “I’ll deal with the little Wizard.” 

“Very well.” The other Goblin bowed to Gornuk before leaving the office. 

Harry stood awkwardly in the centre of the room for a moment before moving to sit on the free chair. 

“We will do a simple blood test to make sure that you are who you say you are.” Manager Gornuk informed Harry as he pulled out a bowl, a potion bottle, some parchment and a dagger. He pushed the bowl and dagger over to Harry. “Three drops of your blood in the bowl.” 

Harry nervously picked up the scary looking dagger and after a moment of thought he cut the back of his arm as it was less sensitive than his hand. It was a bit awkward to get exactly three drops but the Goblin didn’t complain so it must have been okay. He wiped the bloodied dagger on his robes before pushing both the dagger and bowl back to the goblin. He rolled his sleeve back down and ignored his gently bleeding arm. It was irrelevant and he’d had worse. 

The Goblin added the potion to the bowl with his blood and muttered a few words in whatever the Goblin language was called. After the bowl glowed a very gentle gold he poured the mixture onto the parchment. A moment later words started to form. 

“Well it looks as if you are Harry Potter.” Gornuk sighed and pushed the parchment over to him. 

**Inheritance Test Results:**

**Name:** Harry James Potter-Black

 **Birthday** : 31st July 1980

 **Status:** Minor

Father (deceased): James Charlus Potter

Father: (blood adopted):Sirius Orion Black

Mother(deceased): Lillian Marie Evans

**Magical Guardian(s):**

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

**Heirs to:**

Potter (by blood)

Peverell (by blood)

Black (by blood)

**Vaults:**

Potter Trust Vault 

Potter Family Vault

Peverell Vault

Black Trust Vault

Black Family Vault

 **Total Wealth:** ₲2.4 Billion

 **Artifacts:** Unknown (for a detail list request audit)

  
  


“Who is Sirius Black?” Harry blurted out unintentionally as he read over his inheritance test. “And what is a Magical Guardian?”

“Sirius Black is the man that allegedly betrayed your parents to the Dark Lord.He is currently in Azkaban Prison.” Gornuk informed him. “And a Magical Guardian is the Guardian allocated to a minor.”

“Would having the status as my magical guardian give Dumbledore the ability to pay people from my vaults?” Harry asked the question that was really bothering him. 

“I’m afraid so, he also has the ability to limit how much money you withdraw from your Potter Trust Vault.” 

“Only my Potter Trust Vault?” Harry was quick to grasp what the Goblin was hinting. 

“Indeed. Mr Dumbledore only has access to your Potter Trust Vault.”

“And he wouldn’t know if i was to withdraw money from any of the other vaults?”

“As a minor the only vaults you have access to until you are of age are the Trust vaults.” 

“But would he know if I withdraw money from the Black Trust Vault?” Harry persisted. 

“No he would not.” Gornuk smirked. “However, the Lord of the Black Family would be made aware.” 

“And who is the Lord?”

“Sirius Black.”

“And as he’s in prison I doubt he will be checking his mail anytime soon?” 

“Indeed.” 

“Okay.” Harry bit his lip and thought for a moment. For some reason Dumbledore was his Magical Guardian but hadn’t deigned to tell him. He was able to withdraw and limit Harry’s own money. “Oh, um is there a bank statement I could have?”

“We send you a bank statement every quarter Mr Potter.” Gornuk said. 

“I’ve never received any mail from Gringotts.” Harry frowned. 

“That is most unusual.” Gornuk scowled. “I will investigate but for now.” He stood up and went to the filing cabinet behind him and pulled out a scroll. “Here is the last three months' statement.” He handed it to the little wizard. 

Harry took the scroll. “Thank you.” He opened the scroll. 

**Incoming Monies:**

N/A

**Outgoing Monies:**

_April:_

₲3,000 to the Dursley family account at Barclays.

₲5,000 to Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore’s Vault 127.

_May:_

₲3,000 to the Dursley family account at Barclays.

₲5,000 to Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore’s Vault 127.

_June:_

₲3,000 to the Dursley family account at Barclays.

₲5,000 to Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore’s Vault 127.

Harry stared aghast at the statement. His Aunt and Uncle always took so much glee in telling him that he was a burden. They had claimed that he should be grateful to them for taking him out of the goodness of their hearts. Hah! They were being paid. They were being paid and all they gave him was a tiny cupboard to sleep in until he was eleven years old and Dudley’s cast offs! Those-those pigs! And Dumbledore! Why the hell was he getting money? He was exactly doing anything as far as Harry was aware and even if he was why was he getting more money than the Dursleys who actually hosted Harry in their home? 

“There is no way for me to stop these transactions, are there?” Harry asked despite having suspicions that the answer was no.

“Not until you are seventeen.” 

“I thought so.” He sighed and rolled the scroll back up. So where did that leave him? “What is the limit on the amount I can withdraw from my Potter Trust Vault?”

“₲100 a month.” Gornuk said after flipping through some papers. 

Ugh that wasn’t a lot. “And the Black Trust Fund?”

“Unlimited.” Gornuk smirked. “It holds ₲100,000 and refills every month if money is withdrawn.”

Okay so that was helpful. The Black Trust Vault was currently overseen by a man in prison who also betrayed his parents. Great. However, using the money of his parents’ betrayer would be a great way to get back at him, especially if it refills from the main Vault...he could always drain it dry so if the man does get out of prison he wouldn't have any money to his name.

“How much would it cost me to open a new vault under an assumed name?” Harry questioned tapping the scroll again his other hand as he thought aloud. “Would I be able to set up a transfer of ₲99,999 a month into it from the Black Trust Vault?”

“That is indeed doable.” The Goblin had a rather pleased look on his face. 

Hmm, that was great but what name to use… Whatever name he chose he could use it as the name for his blond self as well. Wasn’t his Mum’s maiden name Evans? The inheritance test said so. He also vaguely remembered Aunt Petunia signing his and Dudley’s school trip slips as Petunia Dursley nee Evans. But would it be too obvious a name to take? Unless he used it as his first name? But then what surname would he use?

“Do you have a surname you can suggest I use?” Harry gave up and asked the Goblin that had been rather helpful so far. “I’m thinking of using Evan as a first name.” 

“Ah your mother’s maiden name.” Gornuk nodded. “I would recommend using your great-great grandmother’s maiden name of Fleamont.” 

“Evan Fleamont.” Harry tested the name. “Yeah okay I like it.” 

“Fleamont was also your Grandfather’s first name. Your great grandfather promised his mother to name his son, your grandfather with her maiden name so that the name wouldn’t fade out.”

“Really?” Harry lent forward in his chair. He had learned more about his family in the past half an hour than he had his entire life! 

“Indeed.”

Harry took a deep breath. “Okay, Manager Gornuk I would like to open a vault under the name of Evan Fleamont and set up a monthly transfer of ₲99,999 from the Black Trust Vault into the new vault.” 

“It will be done.” Gornuk grinned. “May I suggest that while I set up your new vault that you visit your trust vault and withdraw some money?”

“Thank you.” Harry nodded. Yeah that was a good idea, surely Dumbledore would expect him to withdraw some money during his stay in the Alley this summer. “I agree.”

“Excellent! I shall summon a cart driver to take you to your Trust Vault.”


	2. Chapter 2

After a fantastic rollercoaster esk cart ride down and back up from his Trust Vault Harry was taken back to Gornuk’s office. 

“Here is the key to your new vault.” Gornuk handed over a new tiny gold key. “And I have taken the liberty of getting you this linked money bag. Merely think of the amount of money you wish from the Fleamont Vault and it will appear.” 

“Thank you.” Harry accepted the items. “Oh!” He suddenly thought that maybe he should mention his hair change. “I plan on using the name Evan Fleamont around the Alleys during the summer.” He closed his eyes and wished his hair blond. He felt the telltale tingle on his scalp and opened his eyes. 

“Impressive.” Gornuk nodded approvingly at him. “I would also recommend getting different eyewear for this persona as well.”

“I plan to go to Owleye’s next.” 

“Very well.” The Goblin then turned back to his paperwork. It was clearly a dismissal so Harry quickly wished his hair back to brown before leaving the office. 

Once he left Gringotts, he went straight to Owleye’s which was easy to spot now that he was looking for it. The shop was where Tom the Barkeep said it would be and the sign for the shop was that of an owl with giant eyes. It was cute in a weird cartoonish way. 

The door jingled as Harry entered and before he even had a chance to look around a man with bottle like glasses was in his face. 

“Oh no no.” He tutted. “Those certainly won’t do.” He physically moved Harry until he was sat on a slightly reclining chair. “Those glasses are just awful, and-” he paused before gasping in disgust. “And they are only held together by muggle tape! No no this will not do.” 

He waved his wand over Harry’s face and a roll of parchment was spat out of it. “Oh dear oh dear.” The shop owner? Harry honestly didn’t know who this man was but he was weirder than Olivander and that was saying something! The man seemed rather upset by the results either way. 

“What’s wrong?” Harry asked anxiously. 

“Your glasses don’t even fit your prescription at all! Why I bet you can hardly see anything.” 

“That’s why I came in. I need new glasses.” 

“Why yes, lad.” The man nodded. “You do indeed need new glasses.” He waved his wand over Harry’s face again. It spat out more parchment. “Right I have your prescription, now you just need to choose your frames!”

Harry was pulled out of the chair and pushed over to a tall wall that was covered from floor to ceiling with different glasses frames. He was overwhelmed by the sheer amount he had to choose from. 

“Uh.” Harry turned back to the man. “What would you recommend? I need two very different pairs.” 

“Hmm.” The man got up rather close to Harry’s face. His eyes enlarged by his bottle glasses were even bigger up close, they were wide and grey. “I think you would do well with a pair similar in style to your current pair and perhaps one with invisible frames.” 

“That sounds great.” Harry quickly agreed and took a step back so he could have some space. The pair with the invisible frames would be perfect for his Evan persona. 

“Excellent!” The man then snatched Harry’s glasses off his face and snapped them in half. 

“Hey!”

“Oh hush,” The man chided before plucking a pair that looked the same as his old set but brand new and not covered in tape. He waved his wand over the frames and muttered a few spells under his breath “Here try these.” He put the pair on Harry’s face. 

The whole world came into focus. 

“Wow.” Harry blinked in shock. He could see! Did everyone else always see this clearly? Maybe he would be able to see the blackboard in the classroom now. “This is amazing.”

“I imagine so.” The shopkeeper said bemused. “After all your last pair was so out of date I am surprised that you didn’t hurt yourself just by walking around!”

“Thank you so much.” Harry beamed at the man, seeing him properly for the first time. He looked rather a lot like Olivander. He had the same white hair and gangly stature. “Are you related to Mr Olivander?” He asked before he realised that he was speaking. 

The man laughed. “I am indeed lad. I am Geraint Olivander and my brother is Garrick. While he followed our father's footsteps in his love of wandlore. Meanwhile I am fascinated by eyesight.”

“Nice to meet you sir and thank you so much.” 

“Think nothing of it lad, I’m just doing my job. Now let's get you that second pair. It was invisible frames, correct?” He didn’t wait for Harry’s reply he just grabbed another pair of frames from the wall and repeated the spell that he did on the first pair. He must be applying his prescription, Harry thought. “Oh and all of my glasses are spelled unbreakable and water repellent so the rain won’t mess with your vision.” 

“That’s brilliant!”

“Thank you lad. Now here are your second pair, try them on.” 

Harry carefully pulled off the pair that he was wearing before taking the other one from Mr Olivander. They really were invisible and if it wasn’t for the actual feel of the glass and the frames in his eyes. Harry tried them on and they were just as comfortable as the first pair. Olivander then moved him in front of a mirror. 

“Wow.” Harry looked different without glasses or rather with invisible glasses. His green eyes really stood out. “I’m definitely buying both.” 

“Excellent!” 

Harry walked out of Owleye’s with two new pairs of glasses. He was wearing the visible set and had the invisible ones in a nice velvet blue case. They had cost him a heft ₲50 but they were so worth it! The next thing Harry really needed were some robes. He decided to get three relatively cheap black robes from Madam Malkin’s as Harry Potter. He would go and look at the higher end shop Twilfitt and Tatting's as Evan Fleamont tomorrow.

After getting his robes and being rather depressed at being told that he had not grown since his first year, Harry decided to have a little look in Obscurus Books. He loved magic but never really had a moment of peace to read about it. Hermione was constantly on his back about school work and Ron always hounded him to play chess. Add in Quidditch practice, classes, detention and whatever danger was lurking...was it really a surprise that he didn’t get to just simply enjoy magic? Don’t get him wrong, he loved his friends but they just didn’t give him any space. 

Obscurus Books was much like a library. There was a sudden almost veil of silence that hit you as you walked in the door. There were bookcases from the floor to the ceiling backed with books as well as piles of books littering the floor and well any flat surface really. Harry was careful to not knock over any of the piles of books as he entered the shop. 

A quick glance at the nearest bookshelf showed that the books weren’t categorised in any particular order. There was  _ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them _ next to  _ Unfogging the Future _ and a copy of the comic  _ Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle _ . There was no sense or reason to the shelves. Harry loved it. Feeling adventurous, Harry walked further into the shop and randomly grabbed five books that were next to each other without looking at their titles. 

He paid for them before leaving and going back to his room in the Leaky Cauldron. It was only once he was back in his room that he took a look at the books:

_ Protection Charm Your Mind: A Practical Guide to Counter Legilimensy by Franciscus Fieldwake. _

_ Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes by E. Limus _

_ Abracadabra: An A-Z of Spooky Spells _

_ Ancient Runes Made Easy by Laurenzoo _

_ Practical Household Magic is a book by Zamira Gulch _

Harry picked up the A-Z of spooky spells and had a quick flip through. It had loads of spells! Well they were hexes and were probably not exactly moral to use but they would likely be handy to know if Voldemort was truly still around. Although he wouldn’t mind hitting Malfoy with the instant scalping hex, it shaves the hair from the target’s head. The Knockback Jinx would also be useful and so would the Protego Diabolica, although that would probably take a lot of power to cast…

_ When cast,  _ Protego Diabolica _ creates a massive ring of fire around the caster.Any of their enemies that come in contact with it will be incinerated, but their allies can pass through the flames unharmed.  _

It's a really harsh spell but it would work against Voldemort so maybe he should think about learning it. He closed the book and turned to the others that he had bought and read the introduction of  _ Protection Charm Your Mind: A Practical Guide to Counter Legilimensy by Franciscus Fieldwake. _

_ “...Legilimency is the act of magically navigating through the many layers of a person's mind and correctly interpreting one's findings. A person who practises this art is known as a Legilimens. Muggles might call this "mind-reading," but practitioners…”  _

Harry dropped the book in shock. There are people who can read your mind?! He mentally screamed. He flipped ahead and thankfully found that the book contained a way to protect against it. 

_ “...Occlumency is the act of magically closing one's mind against Legilimency…”  _ He read on and found that the first step to mastering Occlumency was to ‘clear your mind’. Which was rather ambiguous if you ask Harry. Thankfully it went onto explain different methods one could use to do so. Meditation was the main one. Harry decided to give it a go straight away. The book also warned that it would take time and practice but if there was one thing that Harry was good at it was thinking of nothing. He often had to force himself not to think during the long stretches in his Cupboard. 

So Harry moved to make himself comfortable on his bed. Placing the rest of his newly bought books on the bedside table. Then as he was reclining against his pillows he shut his eyes and imagined that he was back in his Cupboard. The Cupboard was dark and small and strangely warm even in the coldest of winters. His little coat bed was firm beneath him and the thin blanket cocooned him like a hug. He was safe. Uncle Vernon was too big to fit in his Cupboard and Aunt Petunia wouldn’t lower herself to try. Dudley was often told to ignore it and was once even punished for trying to get in! So yes, Harry’s cupboard was a safe place. 

Now that he was in his Cupboard he could just let go. 

  
  


The next thing Harry knew Hedwig was hooting in his ear. He blinked awake and realised that he had fallen asleep while meditating. 

“Hi Hedwig.” Harry smiled softly at his owl and first ever friend. “I’m glad you’re here.” He stroked her feathers. “Feel free to go out and hunt as much as you want while we’re staying here.” 

Hedwig barked and groomed his hair for a moment before flying over to rest on the back of the chair that was in the room. He smiled at her before looking at the bedside clock and saw that it was seven in the morning. He had slept through the entire night without nightmares! He didn’t have a single dream about the Chamber of Secrets of Quirrelmort. He was definitely going to meditate every night before bed regardless of learning Occlumency!

As it was still rather early in the morning Harry decided that it would be the perfect time to try out his Evan Fleamont persona. So he showered, changed into one of the new simple black robes and turned his hair blond again. He put on his new invisible glasses and then looked in the mirror. 

It was as if a stranger was staring back at him. Perfect. He would have to be careful not to move his hair from in front of his scar...wait! He changed back into his muggle clothes but kept himself as ‘Evan’. He would go into the muggle world and buy some foundation. 

So after walking as confidently as he could down stairs and out into London, Evan made his way to the nearest cosmetic shop which just happened to be Boots™. Once there he went inside and went up to a woman on the make-up counter. 

“Excuse me?”

“How can I help you?” The woman asked as she looked down at him with a frown. 

“Um what can you recommend for hiding scars?” Evan asked nervously. “Especially ones that are on the face?” 

Her face softened. “We can try a few things and see which works best?” She offered. 

“Yes please.” 

  
  


Evan walked out of the shop half an hour later with a foundation that matched his skin perfectly, a moisturizer, make-up removal wipes and skin coloured plasters. They had discovered that if Evan wore a plaster and then covered it with the foundation as well you couldn’t see the scar at all. If he just used the foundation you could still see an outline of his scar. Feeling more confident now, Evan went back into the Leaky Cauldron and changed into his black robe. 

He then went out into Diagon Alley and bought a more substantial wardrobe from Twilfitt and Tatting's including a really nice black cloak with a hood. The clothes would be delivered to his room by owl when they were done so no one else would know that he was buying clothes. 

Next Evan decided to get some breakfast. He wanted to eat somewhere other than the Leaky Cauldron so he walked through the Alley trying to find a cafe or even a restaurant. He found a nice little bakery called ‘Sweets and Such’. Five minutes later he was sitting at a tiny blue table munching on a savory breakfast pasty and sipping a warm cup of tea. It was really nice and he would definitely be coming back here. 

As he looked out the window that he was sat by and saw the entrance to Knockturn Alley. He was suddenly gripped with the urge to explore it. Surely he would be okay? It wasn’t obvious that he was Harry Potter and if Hagrid could go down there and buy Slug repellent then surely it wasn’t all bad? 

Evan was going to explore Knockturn Alley and there was no one to stop him. Well, he was going to do it once he had finished his breakfast. 


	3. Chapter 3

The entrance to Knockturn Alley was as unwelcoming as it was the first time Harry had ended up there. But Evan persevered. He walked deeper into the twisting street and past Borgin and Burkes, he did not feel an urge to revisit that particular shop. He continued on and soon the street opened up a little more and although it was still dark and a little dirty, it seemed more welcoming. 

Evan hummed quietly to himself as he gazed around at all the interesting looking shops wondering which to enter first. There weren’t that many people out and about this early, in fact the Alley was almost deserted. In the end what helped him make his choice was the sound of metal hitting metal coming from a shop with the sign ‘Fyrig Forge’. He was drawn to the sound in the otherwise silent Alley. 

The door to the shop was already open which was odd as this was the first shop that Harry/Evan had ever visited that kept it’s door open. Although as soon as he stepped over the threshold he realised why. He was hit with a wall of heat. It was uncomfortably hot but instead of being put off, Evan was even more curious. It wasn’t dark inside like Evan had expected from its gloomy exterior, there were globes of light dotted around the rather large space and at the far end was the ‘forge’. Evan realised that he had wandered into a blacksmith. 

At the centre of the room stood a man. He was hunched over an anvil, in a vest showing off his numerous tattoos which covered the entirety of both his arms from what Evan could see. His muscles bulged as he hammered at the metal and Evan was loathed to interrupt so he stayed quiet and just watched. The man had dark blond hair although he could be wrong about the colour as there was a lot of soot around. The hair was long enough to be pulled back into a bun? It was sort of like the hair buns he had seen on ballerina’s in his Aunt’s magazines (she didn’t know that he liked to read them when she was finished with them, they often had helpful cleaning tips), but messier with stray curls. 

“Wow.” Evan said breathlessly without him even realising that he had spoken as he was so transfixed by the man and what he was doing.

The man hit the piece of metal a few more times before shoving it quickly into what looked to be a bucket of water. Steam and the sound of water instantly boiling filled the air. The man then turned to face Harry with a scowl on his face. He had a nose ring and a closely cropped beard. 

“What do you want?” He grunted

“Er, I.” Evan stuttered, unable to form any words. He didn’t know what was making him so speechless but he found himself unable to even string two words together. 

“Well?” The man glared. “Are you going to say anything or are you going to keep standing there like a fífl?”

“A what?”

“A fool.” 

“Oh, um right.” Evan blinked dumbly before shaking his head forced his tongue and brain to work. “What are you making?” He managed to ask and felt the urge to pat himself on the back for not stuttering. Oh man, he was totally gay wasn’t he? Although to be fair who wouldn’t be attracted to a man in a close fitting vest, tattoos and was incredibly fit? His relatives could never find out about his revelation, they would kick him out faster than he could say Quidditch!

“What’s your name, liten gutt?” The man asked and once again Evan found himself not knowing what the man was calling him. 

“I’m gay, I er mean, my name is Evan!” He also did not have very good control over his mouth. The blush on his face was no longer just from the heat but from utter humiliation. “Oh Merlin why did I say that?” He whined quietly and hid his face in his hands. He wanted to die right there. 

A low chuckle brought his attention back to the man in front of him. Evan peaked through his fingers and caught the man trying to hide his laughter behind a sooty hand. Merlin, even his laugh was attractive! This was so unfair!

“W-what’s your name?” Evan asked with all the Gryffindor bravado he had in his boots. He removed his hands from his face and the man’s expression became stoic again. 

“Finn.” Was the terse response. 

“So um, what was it you were making?” He tried asking again. He knew that he should probably leave now but he wanted to know more about this beautiful stranger although as a nearly thirteen year old he had absolutely no chance of anything with this man. 

Finn let out a sigh. “I’m making horseshoes.”

“Horseshoes?”

“Do you enjoy being a papegøye?” He snarked back. 

“I don’t know what that is.” Evan pointed out before continuing. “But I’m surprised that you’re making horseshoes, aren’t they well, rather muggle?” He finished awkwardly. 

“They’re for hippogriffs.” 

“Hippogriffs?”

The only response he got that time was a deep sigh. 

Evan pouted when it looked like he really wasn’t going to get an answer. For some reason he felt rather free around Finn. Maybe it was because he wasn’t ‘Harry Potter’ at the moment? Whatever the reason was it made him want to spend more time around this attractive blacksmith. Said blacksmith went back to work, pulling the now cooled horseshoe from the bucket of water. 

“So why do Hippogriffs need horseshoes?” He asked after a few moments. 

“Oh, you’re still here?” Finn didn’t even turn to look at him. 

“Yes, I’m still here.” Evan sighed when it was clear that he was definitely not going to get an answer to his question so he asked a different one. “What else do you make?”

Finn let out an exasperated sigh and answered without looking at him. “I make statues out of recycled metal work. Usually on commission. I also create weapons for those who don’t want to or can’t afford to buy from the Goblins.” 

An idea struck Evan then. “So I could commission a statue from you?”

Finn paused and turned to look at him.

“Um.” He scrambled to find the right words of what he wanted to be made. “I would like an Owl made.”

This time Finn turned fully to look at him with narrow eyes. 

“Yes, an owl about this big?” Evan held his hands about 30cm apart. He mentally ran through all the types of owls that he knew which was more than the average person. He had looked them up in the library after he had gotten Hedwig. “A Great Horned Owl at around 30cm.” He nodded firmly. Yes that would do. “And I need it made before September 1st.” 

Finn sighed and put down his hammer again. He then walked away from the forge over to a desk that Evan hadn’t noticed before. He threw himself down into the armchair behind it and pulled out some parchment and a quill. 

“Sit.” He ordered gesturing to the wooden stool in front of the desk. 

Evan was bemused by the difference in the chairs but did indeed sit. Finn seemed even bigger up close, he could probably crush Evan’s head in one hand...Should he be concerned that he liked the sound of that?

“A great horned owl, you said?” Finn asked as he dipped his quill into a pot of ink. 

“Yes.” Evan nodded and wondered briefly how Hedwig would feel if he bought himself a great horned owl for his Evan persona...She would most likely bite him. 

Finn started to sketch out an owl on the parchment and Evan realised that this was going to be his statue's design. He felt giddy, it was weird. He was really excited about this, but wasn’t sure why. Then it occurred to him that this was his first major purchase that wasn’t for school. It was purely for him! It was definitely a strange thought. 

Evan let the man work in silence but couldn’t tear his eyes away from him as his hand moved across the paper sketching the design. 

“It will be made out of recycled metal such as spoons and forks etc.” Finn murmured. 

Evan wasn’t sure how much time had passed before Finn looked up from his drawing. The man blinked slowly in surprise, as if he couldn’t quite believe that he was still sitting there quietly. 

“What do you think?” He slid the drawing over for his purview. 

Evan pulled it closer to himself and was amazed. “It's adorable.” He blurted as he looked at the artwork. Forks were going to be used for the legs and the chest deaths almost looked like a pinecone. He wasn’t sure how he was going to make it out of metal but Evan couldn’t wait to see it. “I love it.” 

“You’ll pay half now, half on completion.” 

“Of course.” He agreed easily. “How much?” He reached for his money purse. 

“₲1,500.”

Evan held back his wince at the price but he mentally conceded that it would be worth it. He opened his money pouch and thought of ₲750. Only instead of coins a check book jumped into his hand, which now that he thought about it was probably a better idea and than handing over hundreds of gold coins. He had seen his uncle fill out cheques before so it wasn’t too difficult to write one for this. 

“Here, the first half.” 

Finn took the cheque, read it to make sure it was correct before pocketing it. “With my other work, it should take around two weeks for me to make it.” 

“Can I pop in from time to time and watch you?” Evan asked before clarifying as it sounded rather creepy. “I’ve never seen a blacksmith at work before.” 

He only got a deep sigh. At least it wasn’t a no, right?

* * *

Thorfinn aka Finn: 


End file.
